Of Earthly Consequence, Chapters 1 and 2
by KrazyAZNCommie
Summary: A StarLancer fic. What began as a simple strike mission quickly explodes into a situation that threatens the Alliance's hard-won control of Earth. Plenty of storyline and hull-pounding fighter and cap ship combat.


Of Earthly Consequence  
  
  
Note: I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure that based on the rate of closure and how fast everything moves and stuff, the speed unit in StarLancer is kilometers per minute, or kpm, not kps as the game erringly states. So the Coyote's max speed is 300 kpm, the Patriot's is 340 kpm, the Phoenix's is 380 kpm, and so on.  
  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
0800 Zulu time, Day 1  
  
Flight Commander Thomas "Razor" Mitchell accelerated his Phoenix prototype medium fighter to cruising speed as it launched from Mitchell's base carrier, the ANS Hunter Brigade. Mitchell was the commander of the United States' 103rd Fighter Squadron "Goshawks", which had just arrived on the forward lines and was based on the newly-commisioned carrier ANS Hunter Brigade. He was about to lead his squadron of Patriot medium fighters, the Wolverine heavy fighters of the German 313th "Leopards" from the carrier ANS Reichstag, and the Hades torpedo bombers of Omega Wing and Sigma Wing into a big fight.  
  
Despite the commissioning of four new carriers and the arrival of more squadrons, the Alliance's resources were still stretched to the limit. Mitchell knew that he was lucky just to get this many planes for this mission. On the other hand it was a very important mission. A blockade force of 2 Cyclone-class cruisers, 2 Tornado-class cruisers, 8 Kurgen escort corvettes, and at least 3 wings of Basilisk and Saracen fighters were blocking a vital supply route. Nearby was the carrier CS Kuznetsov, which was only minutes of jump-time away. This force had to be removed at all costs.  
  
The Leopards were loaded with Jackhammers, Screamers, and fuel pods, and it was up to them to take out the turrets, engines, and shield generators of the cruisers and the Kuznetsov, plus destroy as many Kurgens as possible. Mitchell's Goshawks would provide them with cover fire from the enemy fighters, plus take out any remaining Kurgens. Then, Omega and Sigma would close in and torp all the cruisers and the Kutznetsov. It sounded easy, but Mitchell knew that this was going to be one tough mission. His Phoenix and the rest of his squadron's Patriots were capable fighters, but the Coalition had the advantage in sheer numbers if not firepower.  
  
"Sir, jump coordinates locked," Mitchell's co-pilot, 1st Lieutenant Jimmy Hunt announced.  
  
"I told you a million times, kid, call me by my callsign: Razor. Everybody else does. Okay, Goshawks, Leopards, Omega, and Sigma flights, this is Goshawk lead. Jump drives online!" Mitchell said over the radio as he engaged the jump drive. The others followed.  
  
*****  
  
They arrived at the blockade force's location quickly.  
  
"I've got a visual on the blockade force, all enemy ships accounted for. Wait a minute, they're jumping out!" reported Goshawk 2, Mitchell's wingman. Indeed, the cruisers, Kurgens, and fighters all jumped out suddenly.  
  
"That's strange. They're running away, just like that? Jimmy, give me a long-range scan," Mitchell called out.  
  
"They've stopped their jump off Sinope...it looks like they're meeting up with more ships. Eight Scarab troop carriers, four more Kurgens, and another wing of fighters, probably Sabers." Hunter reported.  
  
"Let's intercept them before they can jump again. Jump drives online, engage!" And the Alliance formation sped off toward Sinope, one of Jupiter's moons.  
  
*****  
  
They arrived just as the Coaltion force, which had repositioned its formation, jumped out.  
  
"Aw man, not again!" Goshawk 4 complained.  
  
"You Americans, so impatient for everything," said Leopard Lead with a slight grin.  
  
"Where are they going now?" Mitchell asked Hunt.  
  
"They're in the Koronis Asteroid Belt. Looks like they're meeting up with even more forces...shit, they're linking up with the Kuznetsov and its escorts! That adds another 4 Kurgens and 2 Cyclone-class cruisers to the battle group." Hunt reported.  
  
"Be advised, we no longer have enough torpedoes to take care of every cap ship," Omega Lead informed the entire task force. "We can take out the carrier and four of the cruisers, but that would leave two cruisers untouched."  
  
"Damn. Copy that. Omega, Sigma, take out the four Cyclones then; they're more of a threat. We'll call in the Hunter Brigade to deal with the two leftover Tornadoes," Mitchell decided.  
  
"Omega copies, loud and clear."  
  
"Sigma copies, wilco."  
  
"Based on their past jumps, where would you say they'd head for next?" Mitchell asked Hunt.  
  
"I'd say...Deimos, sir."  
  
Mitchell nodded. Deimos was one of Mars's moons. "Alright, Deimos it is. Get word out to the fleet and tell Hunter Brigade and her battle group to meet us there. Let's go."  
  
*****  
  
They came out of their jump and repositioned their formation, with the torp bombers backing off to a safe distance. There was no sign of the Coalition force.  
  
However, that was not to last long. Dozens of blue flashes quickly appeared, as the Coalition guys arrived. "There they are, 600 k out. All bandits accounted for," Hunt informed the entire force.  
  
"Alright, let's get to it, people. Goshawks, we'll take care of the extra Kurgens and fighters. Leopards, after you're done with the cruisers, the carrier, and the rest of the Kurgens, you've got the troop carriers. Remember people, stay alive. We only need to delay them until the Hunter Brigade and her escorts come. Let's engage!" Mitchell ordered. He accelerated his Phoenix to its max speed of 380 kpm, and his squadron's Patriots followed. They went after the stealthy Basilisks first, annihilating them with a volley of Vagabonds. Meanwhile, the range closed, and by the time that the Goshawks had selected new targets, it was down to knife fight range.  
  
Mitchell caught a brief glimpse of a Saracen fighter's tail crossing his nose as he pulled up, going after the target that his radar said was closest to him. He saw one of his squadronmates, Goshawk 3, chasing a Saber fighter. The Patriot matched speed with the enemy fighter, followed it through a winding series of sharp breaks, and blew it away with its twin Tachyon cannons.  
  
There! Mitchell saw his target--a Saracen, right in front of him, crossing his nose. He put the agile Phoenix into the sharpest turn possible, following the bandit. Hunt hit the 'match speed' button, maintaining optimal gun range. "I got 'im!" Mitchell called out as he saw his target and fired. The combination of 2 Gatling Lasers, 2 Pulse Cannons, and a Blind Fire targeting system quickly crippled the enemy fighter and sent smoke pouring out of its tailpipe. The now-sluggish fighter tried one more desperate Immelman to escape, but Mitchell's nimble Phoenix followed it perfectly through the turn and finished it off.  
  
"And that's kill number 152!" Mitchell announced as he turned again, just in time to avoid a stream of Gatling Laser fire from a bandit on his tail. He turned his head around and watched as his wingman came and fired a volley of Tachyon Cannon particles into the enemy fighter, at the same time calling out, "Razor, one on your tail!"  
  
His wingman's sudden appearance and inexorable gunfire forced the bandit to break off its attack on Mitchell. Mitchell grinned and said graciously to Goshawk 2's pilot and copilot, "Thanks, Reefer and Talon, I owe you guys a beer." He kept his eye on the new engagement long enough to see Goshawk 2 going into a scissors fight with the enemy fighter and blow it away with a point-blank Raptor missile.  
  
"Heh, Talon didn't do shit, sir; I'm the one doing the flying and shooting," Reefer joked good-naturedly.  
  
"And I'm the one balancing the systems and shooting the fighters that get on our tail--in other words, keeping us alive," Talon replied.  
  
"Ok, back to work, you two," Mitchell chuckled.  
  
"Aye aye, boss man, Goshawk 2 breaking off to earn whatever meager pay they give us."  
  
"Sir, er, Razor, the troop carriers and their escorts are jumping out!" Hunt called out suddenly. Mitchell looked ahead. Indeed, the 8 Scarabs plus 4 Kurgens and a wing of fighters were heading back the way that they had come.  
  
"Let 'em go, we've got enough on our plates for now," Mitchell ordered as he turned again, heading for a Lagg fighter.  
  
Meanwhile, the Leopards had not been idle, either. Their Wolverines' heavy shields and armor allowed them to get close to the cruisers and carrier without getting chopped to pieces, and they were downing their fair share of stray fighters, too. Their ECMs were blazing, disrupting any turret locks, while they flew around and took out turrets, shield generators, and engines.  
  
More fighters came, and two Wolverines were taken down by a heavy barrage of cannonfire and missiles. In response, Goshawks 5 and 6 broke off from their dogfight and made mince meat out of the fighters attacking the Wolverines.  
  
But more fighters were launched from the Kuznetsov, and quickly drove off the Leopards. However, the Leopards had already accomplished their mission; the cruisers and carrier were immobilized and defenseless. "Omega, Sigma, close in and launch your torpedoes now! Everybody, this is Leopard flight. Mission accomplished, we're extending. Goshawks, give us some cover!" Leopard Lead radioed.  
  
"Roger that," Mitchell replied as he finished gunning down a Basilisk that had survived the initial Vagabond barrage. "Goshawks, break off and form on the Leopards, pronto!"  
  
The Kurgens moved to stop them, but only 2 got into position in time, and those 2 were blown away by volleys of Screamers from Goshawks 2 and 4--Goshawk 3 had been destroyed, with no ejection. All the Goshawks turned on their afterburners and headed toward the Leopards, who were busy dogfighting with the Sabers and Azans swarming them. The Goshawks launched Hawk missiles and fired their guns, crippling and driving away the fighters.  
  
"Leopard Flight, hold position. Omega, Sigma, what's your status?" Mitchell radioed.  
  
"We're firing torps...now! Be advised, the carriers launched another squadron of fighters. They might shoot down the torpedoes."  
  
"Got 'em. Goshawks, engage!" Mitchell ordered. The Goshawks, minus the downed Goshawk 3, afterburned toward the enemy fighters that were moving to protect the cap ships from the torpedoes. More Hawk and Raptor missiles streaked out, scattering and destroying many of the bandits.  
  
Meanwhile, the Leopards had gone back into the fray to finish the second part of their mission: destroy the Kurgens. Jackhammer missiles were fired and Collapser cannons blazed, ripping into the squad of Kurgens.  
  
"Torp impact in 3 seconds!" Hunt yelled out.  
  
"Let's get out of here; we don't want to get caught in the secondaries!" Mitchell ordered. The Goshawks afterburned away.  
  
And indeed, there were many large secondary explosions as the torpedoes gutted the 4 Cyclone-class cruisers and the Kuznetsov, eliminating most of an entire carrier battle fleet in a single stroke.  
  
As soon as the secondaries faded, Mitchell led the Goshawks back into the fray, helping the Leopards with the Kurgens. Although Mitchell's Phoenix and the rest of the squadron's Patriots weren't loaded with Jackhammers for this mission, they had Screamers, and plus their primary weapons were powerful enough. More Kurgens were destroyed, without a single Alliance fighter lost.  
  
"Razor, the cavalry's arrived! I'm picking up the Hunter Brigade and her escorts jumping in--4 Fleet Destroyers, 6 Prowler corvettes, 3 Mammoths, and 3 Nannies. Also, there are 4 more Wolverines with them; they're part of Leopard squadron," Hunt informed Mitchell. Two of the destroyers, the ANS Churchill and the ANS Russell, quickly launched their torpedoes at the two defenseless Tornado-class cruisers, destroying both easily. Then, all the ships used their cannons to pound the remaining Kurgens and the Hunter Brigade launched a fresh squadron of Reaper heavy fighters to help.  
  
"Good to see you, HB," Mitchell said into the carrier comms channel.  
  
"Good work out there, commander. You may have just given the Alliance the chance it needs to ride this out. Come on home; you're going to want to hear this debriefing. Leopards, you will be landing and staying here for now. We will explain why in the debriefing," replied one of the bridge officers.  
  
"We're not gonna like this," Mitchell predicted.  
  
"No," the bridge officer confirmed.  
  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
  
All of the carrier's pilots plus the German pilots from the Leopards were gathered in the briefing room, talking and speculating about what was going on. Something had High Command spooked, and everybody was wondering what it was.  
  
The Hunter Brigade's captain, Captain Terrence Harrell, walked in, and all the pilots settled down.  
  
"The task force that we just encountered and destroyed was just one part of a massive Coalition fleet that broke past our defenses, destroyed the ANS Reichstag and its battle group, and continued on its path. The 4 Wolverines of Leopard squadron that came with us plus the 4 Leopards that survived the strike on the Kuznetsov are all that's left of the Reichstag. Anyway, the enemy fleet has proceeded to Earth," Harrell began.  
  
Thomas Mitchell's eyes narrowed. Earth had just been recently recaptured by the Alliance 2 months ago, after months of fierce fighting. It sure hadn't taken the Coalition much time to put together a counterstrike.  
  
"The fleet is large, very large," Harrell continued. "We estimate at least four Class 2 carriers, three Class 1 carriers, possibly 1 command supercarrier, hundreds of Scarab troop carriers, dozens of Shavrov cargo carriers, escorted by at least 20 or so Tornado and Cyclone cruisers, almost 500 fighters based on the carriers and Cyclone-class cruisers, and almost 100 Kurgen corvettes. The exact numbers of all the ships and fighters have yet to be counted. They have surrounded Earth in a three-dimensional blockade, and while our inner defenses are holding so far, we're not sure if they can hold if the Coalition tries a massive, concentrated attack.  
  
"And I've got more bad news. Long range scans have detected more ships jumping in to reinforce the blockade, blowing right past what's left of our Martian Defense Perimeter. We've detected a possible new class of Coalition fighters; we're designating it Type X until High Command can find a more suitable name. Also, there is the possibility of a new class of fast destroyers comparable to our own Fleet Destroyers, but much faster and heavily-armed, though lighter on the defenses. We're designating that class Gale."  
  
"What is the status of the Earth defense perimeter?" the commander of the Leopards, Squadron Commander Brett von Schissen asked.  
  
"Two carriers and a full fleet of Alaska-class cruisers and Fleet Destroyers, supported by all of our Earth-based fighter and bomber wings, plus a couple hundred orbital laser platforms and torpedo launchers. It'll hold, barely. If more Coalition forces arrive, it's doomed," Harrell replied. "The Reichstag and her battle group went down fighting, taking down a Coalition carrier, four cruisers, and a helluva lot of fighters and Kurgens with them,"--Mitchell saw Von Schissen nod once, proud of the fight that his countrymen had put up--"while we took down another carrier and its escorts. Those two downed battle groups might just give the defense fleet the breathing space it needs to ride this out."  
  
"What happened to those 8 Scarabs and their escorts? The ones that jumped away in the middle of the fight?" asked Reefer, Mitchell's wingman.  
  
"Mike happened to them," Harrell replied.  
  
Several of the senior officers chuckled. Flight Commander Michael "Stinger" Fremont was the commanding officer of the 45th Flying Tigers, based on the newly-commisioned Class 1 carrier ANS Reliant--named after the now-destroyed Class 4 carrier that the 45th had originally been based on. Fremont was the highest-scoring ace in the Alliance, with a whopping 338 kills under his belt, and had flown all manners of missions from one end of the spectrum to the other. Even more impressive was the fact that he had been a civilian when he had first joined the squadron, then called the 45th Volunteers. He had risen through the ranks quickly, taking out or helping to take out dozens of capital ships and hundreds of...everything. His aggressive, flamboyant, almost gung-ho personality sharply contrasted with that of Maria Enriquez, the squadron's previous commander, now the captain of the new Reliant. Fremont could've been a Rear Admiral or even a Vice Admiral by now, but he had consistently turned down flag commands in order to give the "newbie" pilots on the front lines the benefit of his experience.  
  
If "Stinger" Fremont had "happened" to the 8 Scarabs and their escorts...well, it must've been a very swift journey to Hell for the Coalition soldiers.  
  
"Ok, what do we do now, sir?" asked Mitchell.  
  
"I was just about to get to that, Razor. It seems that another Alliance carrier battle group, centered around the ANS Charles De Gaulle, has run into a problem near Prometheus. Two problems, actually: two Coalition carrier battle groups, centered around the CS Zhukov and the CS Leningrad. So far, they haven't closed to torpedo range yet, and there have only been some relatively minor fighter skirmishes; but it's gonna go to hell sooner and later, and we've gotta get there before it happens. We must prevent the destruction of the De Gaulle and eliminate the Coalition forces; don't ask how, we're just gonna do it."  
  
"Just what I wanted to brighten up my day--two Rooskie carriers and a boatload of Frenchy asses to save. Fabulous," one of the officers commented.  
  
"Shut up, Monk," Harrell replied. Flight Captain Alicia "Monk" Monterelli of Goshawk 3 just gave her best innocent grin.  
  
Harrell continued, "After that, we'll join with the De Gaulle and any of her escorts that are still remaining. Together, we'll proceed to Europa, destroying any Coalition forces we meet along the way, and rendezvous with the Reliant and her escorts. Together, all three carriers, plus our combined force of escorts, will proceed to Phobos, again destroying all Coaltion forces that we encounter, and meet up with four dozen Mammoths and their escorts--the largest convoy ever put together by the Alliance. The Mammoths contain much-needed supplies for our forces defending Earth, as well as some classified cargo. We will proceed to Earth, once again destroying any Coalition forces along the way, punch a hole in the Coalition lines and break through, escort the Mammoths through, and join up with the defenses. I have been informed that we will then be part of a counterstrike to break through the Coalition force, although I do not know the exact details of that yet.  
  
"This is the Coalition's Battle of the Bulge, ladies and gentlemen. With the war turning against them, they know that Earth is their only chance for victory, so they are concentrating all of their resources on this strike, counting on this one attack to break our backs. And just like in the Battle of the Bulge, they will not succeed! The Alliance will prevail, and with it the ideals of freedom and democracy! Kick ass, everyone!"  
  
"Hoo-rah!" Mitchell shouted.  
  
"Hoo-rah!" someone else called out.  
  
"Hoo-rah!" Reefer yelled.  
  
Soon, the whole room degenerated into a myriad of hoo-rahs and cheers, as the rowdy pilots prepared for what they knew would be the fight of their lives.  
  
The Hunter Brigade and her escorts powered up their engines and jumped toward Prometheus, one of Saturn's moons. It would take some time to reach Prometheus, so the pilots all had an extensive tactical briefing, followed by some lunch. Then the technicians loaded up the weapons onto the aircraft, and the pilots climbed into the cockpit to wait for launch.  
  
*****  
  
The ships stopped their jumps just off of Callisto, another Saturn moon.  
  
"Bridge to Goshawk, Leopard, Hellcat, Omega, and Sigma flights, we are close to Prometheus; you have a green light for launch," Mitchell heard inside his Phoenix's cockpit.  
  
"Roger that Bridge, Goshawk Flight launching." The bay doors opened and Mitchell and the five other fighters of Goshawk Flight were hurled into space.  
  
"Leopard Flight launching." There were 8 Wolverines left in Leopard Squadron, so instead of launching the standard flight of 6 fighters, Commander Von Schissen had figured that he might as well launch all 8; after all, this was a fight against two carriers and their escorts. Now, all 8 Leopards launched and joined up with Goshawk Flight.  
  
"Hellcat Flight launching." The 6 Reaper heavy fighters of Hellcat Flight, from the 112th Fighter Squadron "Hellcats", were the last fighters to launch. They quickly joined up with the other fighters.  
  
"Omega Flight launching." Four Hades torp bombers launched, staying behind the fighters.  
  
"Sigma Flight launching." Four more Hades followed.  
  
"Control, all aircraft have been launched. We're ready," Mitchell reported.  
  
"Roger that. Engage jump drives for Prometheus," Rear Admiral Dan McRae, the commander of the entire Hunter Brigade battle group, ordered.  
  
The fighters, bombers, Prowlers, destroyers, and the Hunter Brigade all engaged their jump drives.  
  
****  
  
They arrived quickly, jumping in at a mere 400 k from the Coalition task force. Both Coalition carriers and all five Tornado-class cruisers had their backs turned to them, since their attention was fully on the De Gaulle and her battle group.  
  
Mitchell grinned. "They don't see us yet. I see both carriers, 5 cruisers, and 4 Kurgens, plus 3 or 4 flights of fighters. Omega, Sigma, stay behind with the ships. Accelerate and torp the carriers when we give the signal. Everybody else, prepare to engage.  
  
All the fighters accelerated to maximum speed and dove into the fray. The Wolverines, capable of sustaining and dishing out the most damage, blew past the pitifully small rear guard of fighters and positioned themselves between the De Gaulle and the Coalition forces, ready to defend against fighters, bombers, and torpedoes. The Reapers went to burner and began pounding the cruisers' turrets and shields, keeping them occupied. Mitchell's Phoenix and Patriots provided cover, tearing into the initial wing of fighters and dogfighting with anyone else that dared to approach. Two Patriots and ten enemy fighters were taken out in the initial furball.  
  
"De Gaulle control, this is Goshawk, Leopard, and Hellcat Flights. do you see us?" Mitchell asked as he pushed his fighter's nose down, lining up a Kossac fighter in his sights and letting loose with his Gatling Lasers and Pulse Cannons.  
  
"Affirmative. Good timing. They've taken out 3 out of 5 of our Prowlers, 1 out of 3 destroyers, and one of our Mirage IV squadrons. We've got one squadron airborne and dogfighting with some Laggs and Saracens that are attacking us. Their callsign is Spectre Flight. We've taken 3 torpedo hits so far from a few now-dead enemy Kamovs; I doubt we can hold up against much more," replied a heavily accented voice in English.  
  
"De Gaulle control, our bombers and cap ships will be in range to engage the Coalition ships in a few minutes; we need any kind of support you can give us, to divert the carriers' attention from our ships and torpedos; Hellcat Flight already has the cruisers preocuppied, and we'll take care of the Kurgens. You just keep those carriers busy," Mitchell told him.  
  
"Roger that, we are launching more aircraft."  
  
"Razor, the De Gaulle has launched a flight of Hades bombers and another flight of fighters...that's strange, the IFF identifies the new fighters as Alliance fighters, but I don't recognize what type it is," Hunt told Mitchell.  
  
"Ask later; we've got one on our tail!" Mitchell replied as he led the enemy Azan on his tail into a scissors fight, twisting and turning, trying to get a shot. Then, he suddenly cut the throttles and slammed on the Reverse Thrust, brining the nimble Phoenix to a screeching halt. The Azan, in the middle of an outward turn, didn't notice until it was too late; it was forced out in front, where Mitchell blasted it to pieces. Breathing out slightly to clear his head, Mitchell turned to Hunt. "Okay, now we can ask."  
  
He tapped the comms button. "De Gaulle control, we do not recognize the type of the fighters that you have just launched."  
  
"It's a new type of fighter, pilot, classified by Alliance High Command and kept a secret until now. It is called the Rafale." The bridge officer shrugged. "Call us nostalgic. Anyway, the only squadron equipped with Rafales is the 255th 'Shadows', the squadron that we just launched."  
  
"Copy that, De Gaulle. Do me a favor and send me its performance specs later. Okay, Shadow Flight, Spectre Flight, looks like the carriers just launched some new fighters. Take out the fighters and destroy the carrier's turrets," Mitchell ordered.  
  
"No problem, my American hotshot friend," said the French pilot in Shadow Lead. The sleek Rafales accelerated to max speed, then turned on their afterburners, accelerating to a blistering speed of 900 kpm. The Mirages of Spectre Flight followed at a somewhat less impressive speed.  
  
Mitchell acknowledged the call, then looked at the radar and called out, "We got 8 Karak fighters escorting 6 Kamovs, dead ahead. They're launching torpedoes, repeat, they're launching torpedoes! Goshawk Flight, we got the Kamovs and the Karaks protecting them! Who's got the torpedos?"  
  
"We'll take 'em!" Von Schissen yelled out from Leopard Lead. The 8 Wolverines, who had been in a dogfight with a wing of Laggs, turned on their burners and zeroed in on the 24 torpedos, blasting away with their full guns and some Hawk missiles.  
  
Mitchell didn't waste any time in dispatching the bombers and fighters. He fired a Nova Cannon blast straight into one fo the Kamovs, ripped up a second and then a third one with his guns, then pulled up and launched a volley of Hawks, killing two Karaks. His wingmen followed the same style, though somewhat more modestly because they weren't that fast or agile. One unlucky Patriot was swarmed by three Karaks and exploded right in front of Mitchell, who had to turn hard left to avoid crashing into the wreckage. He and the two remaining Patriots quickly avenged their fallen comrade. All the Kamovs were quickly destroyed, and pretty soon it was down to two limping Karaks. The Karaks, flew at maximum speed away from the Goshawks--and straight into the waiting jaws of the Leopards, who had finished with the torpedos.  
  
Immediately after the Leopards had blasted away the two Karaks, they slammed on the Reverse Thrusters and turned around, facing the Laggs that they had left behind. Head-to-head, the Wolverine fighters were extremely lethal, and the tremendous power of their guns tore apart the Laggs.  
  
"SITREP," Mitchell called out, asking all flights to check in and give a situation report. "Goshawk Flight, clear."  
  
"Leopard Flight, clear."  
  
"Hellcat Flight, engaged with Coalition cruisers. We've taken out all the turrets on 3 of the cruisers and are working on the other 2."  
  
"Spectre Flight, engaging CS Zhukov."  
  
"Shadow Flight, engaging CS Leningrad."  
  
"De Gaulle reporting no enemy fighters airborne."  
  
"Ok, Goshawks and Leopards, follow me. We're going to take out the Kurgens. Omega and Sigma, begin your run; as soon as we take out the Kurgens, launch your torpedos at the Zhukov and Leningrad. Hunter Brigade, De Gaulle, all Fleet Destroyers, and all Prowlers, you are cleared in; while Omega and Sigma get the take out the carrers, you guys get the cruisers," Mitchell commanded. Although the destroyer and carrier captains outranked him, they knew that he was closer to the action and that he was a competent commander, so they followed his instructions.  
  
With that said, Mitchell pointed his Phoenix straight toward the nearest Kurgen and went straight at it, ignoring the laser fire streaking by him. He clicked on his ECM as the range closed...and fired his guns viciously, sending streams of energy particles crashing into the Kurgen's hull, ripping it apart. Without stopping to admire the explosion as the Kurgen was gutted, he turned to the next one and sent a Nova Cannon blast toward it, instantly incinerating it. To his left, Reefer and Talon took care of a Kurgen with their centerline Jackhammer missile. To his right, Goshawk 3 tore apart the final Kurgen with its Tachyon and Proton cannons.  
  
The Shadows and Spectres flew all over the two carriers, harrassing them inexorably, blasting apart engines, shield generators, and turrets with Jackhammers, Screamers, and guns. The superbly fast and maneuverable prototype Rafales put their quadruple Gatling Lasers and dual Neutron Cannons to very good use, while the more conventional but still lethal Mirages buzzed around, drawing inaccurate fire from all the turrets that were still operational.  
  
"Omega, Sigma, now!" Mitchell yelled.  
  
"Roger, firing now." By now, all 8 Hades bombers were within 50 k of the carriers, so the carriers and cruisers had very little room and time to shoot down the torpedoes. Not that it mattered, since all of their turrets were either destroyed or busy shooting at the fighters.  
  
Sixteen torpedoes slammed into the Zhukov, and another sixteen into the Leningrad. The explosions ripped multiple hull breaches into the two mighty ships and the fireballs shot inside, starting a chain reaction of decompression and explosions that tore both carriers into pieces, particuarly when the explosions reached the munitions bays and torpedo rooms.  
  
Searing fireballs shot into space everywhere as the two doomed vessels were ripped apart, the concussion waves damaging and batting back any nearby fighters. One French Mirage was engulfed and incinerated by the intense explosions after it had flown too close to the Zhukov.  
  
Meanwhile, the Reapers of Hellcat Flight had finished destroying all of the cruisers' turrets, and they disengaged, putting some distance between themselves and the cruisers, which were marked for destruction. The Hunter Brigade, the De Gaulle, the 4 Destroyers of the HB battle group, and the 2 surviving Destroyers of the De Gaulle battle group all closed to torpedo range and easily fragged the cruisers with a volley of torpedos.  
  
"All clear, everyone. Good work. All aircraft, land for debriefing," Rear Admiral McRae ordered.  
  
Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief and de-celerated, letting the two surviving Patriots of his flight catch up. The three aircraft headed for their landing bays, as did Leopard, Hellcat, Shadow, Spectre, Omega, and Sigma Flights. 


End file.
